---
name: "Glen A. Larson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/glen-a-larson"
fi1m_id: "glen-a-larson"
imdb_id: "nm0488991"
tmdb_id: 227330
wikidata_id: "Q604524"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "3 January 1937"
died: "14 November 2014"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-17T18:20:09.771501+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Glen A. Larson

## Identity

Glen A. Larson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/glen-a-larson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** glen-a-larson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0488991
- **TMDB ID:** 227330
- **Wikidata ID:** Q604524
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_A._Larson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q604524, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0488991/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/227330

Writer. Born 3 January 1937 in Long Beach, California, USA. Died 14 November 2014.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 3 January 1937, Long Beach, California, USA
- **Died:** 14 November 2014
- **Active:** 1963–2024
- **Also known as:** Christopher Eric James, Glen Larson, The Four Preps
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as writer, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 84 (1), 2000s 83 (1), 2020s 72 (1)
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Action & Adventure 2, Drama 2, Action 1, Comedy 1, Mystery 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 2 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $181m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_A._Larson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q604524, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0488991/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/227330

## Streaming the US now

- **Paramount+:** [*Battlestar Galactica*](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md) (83)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Glen A. Larson

> Glen A. Larson made television from premises that were easy to grasp and built to last. We value his knack for straightforward entertainment, though the formulas could feel second-hand and the remakes need judging on their own merits.

A car talks in *Knight Rider* (1982), and the premise has done much of the work before the hero needs to explain himself. In *The Fall Guy* (1981), a stuntman also works as a bounty hunter. Larson favoured a set-up that could be understood quickly and supply another evening’s action, with light humour to keep things agreeable. We value that practical gift, even when the results make it difficult to give him much credit for originality.

His run of creations and co-creations in the 1970s and 1980s also took in *Quincy, M.E.* (1976), *Battlestar Galactica* (1978) and *Magnum, P.I.* (1980). The forensic drama helped establish the medical-examiner procedural; the science-fiction series supplied the starting point for later adaptations. Writer-producer Donald P. Bellisario was among Larson’s collaborators, a useful reminder to be careful about giving one name all the credit. The recurring criticism of derivative premises is fair, but treating reliable mainstream entertainment as an embarrassment would be less fair.

The later *Battlestar Galactica* (2004) shows how far one of those premises could travel. Larson shares the creator credit with Ronald D. Moore, whose work puts relentless pressure on the characters. We were gripped and occasionally exhausted by how seldom those people were allowed any relief. The tense storytelling earns much of that severity, and the ensemble led by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell gives us reason to stay with it. We recommend the series despite the gloom, not because gloom proves that science fiction has grown up.

That persistent gloom is also where we begin to resist the programme: the determination to keep everything sombre sometimes becomes a nuisance. Our enthusiasm for the later *Battlestar Galactica* cannot simply be transferred to Larson’s original, any more than that reservation can. We can credit him with the starting point without making him responsible for every decision in the later series. Start with the 2004 series for the tense storytelling and the cast; do not expect it to explain the appeal of a talking car.

## Biography

Glen A. Larson was an American television writer, producer and composer. He created numerous series including *Battlestar Galactica* (1978), *Quincy, M.E.* (1976), *Magnum, P.I.* (1980), *The Fall Guy* (1981) and *Knight Rider* (1982). He began his career as a member of the vocal group The Four Preps in the 1950s before moving into television writing in the mid-1960s.

Larson received a consulting producer credit on the reimagined *Battlestar Galactica* (2004) series and a writing credit under the pseudonym Christopher Eric James on the preceding miniseries. He was nominated for three Primetime Emmys and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. Larson died in 2014.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.battlestarwiki.org, nytimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Fall Guy* (2024), Fi1m 72, Original Series Creator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-fall-guy.md)
- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), Fi1m 83, Creator — [page](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md)
- *The Fugitive* (1963), Fi1m 84, Story — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-fugitive-1963.md)

## Complete filmography (68)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Fall Guy* (2024), Original Series Creator — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/the-fall-guy.md)
- *Magnum P.I.* (2018), series, Original Series Creator
- *Caprica* (2010), series, Consulting Producer, Characters
- *Battlestar Galactica: The Plan* (2009), Producer
- *Knight Rider* (2008), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Knight Rider* (2008), Characters
- *Battlestar Galactica: Razor* (2007), Producer
- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), series, Creator — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md)
- *Sciography* (2000), series, Actor
- *Millennium Man* (1999), Writer, Executive Producer
- *The Darwin Conspiracy* (1999), Writer
- *Nightman* (1997), Writer
- *Team Knight Rider* (1997), series, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Night Man* (1997), series, Director, Writer, Creator
- *One West Waikiki* (1994), series, Producer, Director, Writer, Creator
- *Staying Afloat* (1993), Writer
- *P.S. I Luv U* (1991), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Knight Rider 2000* (1991), Characters
- *Chameleons* (1989), Writer, Associate Producer, Director
- *The Road Raiders* (1989), Screenstory, Teleplay, Executive Producer, Theme Song Performance
- *The Highwayman* (1987), series, Writer, Creator
- *In Like Flynn* (1985), Writer
- *Half Nelson* (1985), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Half Nelson* (1985), Writer, Executive Producer
- *Cover Up* (1984), series, Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Crazy Dan* (1984), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Automan* (1983), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Masquerade* (1983), series, Writer, Creator
- *Manimal* (1983), series, Writer, Creator
- *Trauma Center* (1983), series, Story, Teleplay, Creator
- *Knight Rider* (1982), series, Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Knight Rider: Knight of the Phoenix* (1982), Writer, Executive Producer
- *Rooster* (1982), Executive Producer, Writer
- *Terror at Alcatraz* (1982), Executive Producer, Writer
- *The Fall Guy* (1981), series, Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Fitz and Bones* (1981), series, Producer
- *Conquest of the Earth* (1980), Writer, Executive Producer
- *Magnum, P.I.* (1980), series, Writer, Creator
- *Magnum PI: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii* (1980), Writer
- *Nightside* (1980), Teleplay, Executive Producer
- *The Murder That Wouldn't Die* (1980), Writer, Executive Producer
- *Galactica 1980* (1980), series, Producer, Writer, Creator
- *The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo* (1979), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century* (1979), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack* (1979), Writer, Executive Producer, Characters, Story
- *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century* (1979), Writer, Executive Producer
- *B. J. and the Bear* (1979), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Battlestar Galactica* (1978), Writer
- *B.J. and the Bear* (1978), Teleplay, Executive Producer
- *Battlestar Galactica* (1978), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Teleplay, Creator
- *The Islander* (1978), Writer, Producer
- *Sword of Justice* (1978), series, Producer, Writer
- *A Double Life* (1978), Screenplay
- *Evening in Byzantium* (1978), series, Teleplay, Executive Producer
- *The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries* (1977), series, Writer, Director, Producer
- *Benny & Barney: Las Vegas Undercover* (1977), Producer, Writer
- *Quincy, M.E.* (1976), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Story, Creator
- *Switch* (1975), series, Producer, Writer, Director, Creator
- *Switch* (1975), Producer, Writer
- *Get Christie Love!* (1974), series, Producer
- *The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War* (1973), Writer
- *The Day They Hanged Kid Curry* (1971), Teleplay
- *Alias Smith and Jones* (1971), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *McCloud* (1970), series, Writer, Director, Executive Producer, Story, Teleplay
- *12 O'Clock High* (1964), series, Writer
- *The Fugitive* (1963), series, Story — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-fugitive-1963.md)
- *The Virginian* (1962), series, Producer
- *Knight Rider*, Characters

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Edgar Awards 1973: Edgar Awards (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/glen-a-larson